SAFA Skysailor Magazine

SKY SAILOR 29 January | February 2020 S pring is the time many pilots do their equipment inspection and maintenance. Did your spring cleaning, maintenance and reserve repack slip by without you getting to it? Now that the season is well and truly on, you need to get it done before next flight! RAPAC The Regional Airspace and Procedures Advisory Committee (RAPAC) is a state-based forum for discussion and consultation of airspace and related procedures in Australia. RAPAC is how your club and/or State/regional association can get involved in proposed changes to airspace in your area. Recently, Ballina was upgraded to a CAR-166 airport (non-controlled aerodrome) that took flight training facilities and members completely by surprise – they will now have to fly at their fa- vourite site with VHF radio. In the past, most State associations used to organise a representative at RAPAC meetings, but according to the RAPAC minutes for the past three years, only ACT, TAS and SE QLD have had representation at these meetings. Find out more about RAPAC here [casa.gov.au/ about-us/working-industry/regional-airspace- and-procedures-advisory-committees-rapac]. Carby Icing We recently had a microlight accident due to engine failure – the aircraft was a write off. Despite this happening in QLD (a sub-tropical climate), carby icing could have been a factor. There is a myth around saying that two-stroke don’t get carby icing, but if you talk to some highly experienced microlight or PPG pilots, they will tell you they have experienced icing. This CASA chart shows how on a 25ºC day with 50% relative humidity it’s possible to get carby icing [casa.gov.au/sites/ default/files/_assets/main/pilots/download/ carburettor_icing_chart.pdf]. Sports cameras Occasionally, we get reports where new, and sometimes experienced, pilots are getting dis- tracted from doing proper pre-flight checks, proper launch technique and proper piloting because they are fiddling around with their sports cameras or their phones. Some flight schools are banning students using cameras and phones because they were distracted from doing stuff like… landing! Sure, sports cameras and phones are here to stay, but make sure they don’t distract you from giving 100% attention to the critical parts of flying. Designated Remote Areas We had a report where a pilot flying a nanolight in a designated remote area (QLD/NT) was forced to land due to conditions without water, radio or clue. Luckily, the pilot the nanolight had been borrowed from insisted he’d fly with an EPIRB. After the pilot walked for some distance, he activated the EPIRB and was subsequently rescued by police. There is more information about designated remote areas here [vfrg.casa.gov.au/pre-flight- planning/designated-remote-areas/maps]. UHF licence limitation Recently, SAFA transferred and renewed the licence we have for the SAFA UHF frequencies we can use [members.safa.asn.au/isonic- downloaddoc.php?docid=0X0X1X1X47cDNnTHFRc mdyam93bG5oUVF0V3FSdz09 ]. The new licence comes with two new limitations: ➲ ➲ Our radios cannot be used within a 70km radius of the Murchison Radio Astronomy Observatory in outback WA. ➲ ➲ We should also not use our radios within 200m of another radio service using the same fre- quency SAFA use. So, if possible, limit the use of the SAFA UHF frequency in populous areas. HIMS Australia [hims.org.au ] In any community, a proportion of people use alcohol or other drugs in a way that is unsafe. The nature of alcohol and drug problems is such that individuals may not fully realise the implications of their use. In aviation, this can have significant consequences, but if a problem is identified early and managed well, safety can be maintained without jeopardy. That’s it for this article. I wish all our members a happy and safe Christmas and hope to hear of epic flights in the New Year! Across the Ops desk… For this magazine issue, I thought I’d provide a bullet list of stuff that’s come across the Operations desk. by Peter Allen, SAFA Projects Officer Aircraft planning to operate within or through designated remote areas must carry survival equipment in the area over which the flight is planned (CAO 20.11 para 7 (b)). See CAO 20.11 Appendix III for maps of designated remote areas.